V Street shows how their approach in the kitchen has evolved since their first restaurant Horizons a decade back. There they featured veganized 1950s era American comfort food, making seitan stand in for steak.

If you are a Food Channel regular and a devotee of Chopped you will love Chef. It's a far cry from reality TV, but it thrives off the same impulse of turning food preparation into an athletic competition.

The lessons on how to manage differences are many: level the playing field, respect everyone's background and what they bring to the table, value the varied ways of knowing that lead to creative solutions to life's most challenging problems.

Scott Conant, Chopped judge and host of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, invited me into his kitchen, where he made a delicious asparagus soup with mussels that's currently featured on his always seasonal menu.